Footwear having selectively attachable sockliner

ABSTRACT

Footwear includes a sole, an upper attached to the sole to define a volume for receiving a foot therein, and a sockliner received in the volume and overlying the sole. The sole includes at least one first fastener element formed therein, and the sockliner includes at least one second fastener element formed therein. The second fastener element is adapted for snap-together fastening with the first fastener element for securing the sockliner to the sole.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to footwear and moreparticularly, to footwear having a selectively attachable sockliner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional footwear includes an upper, a sole underlying and attachedto the upper, and a sockliner overlying the sole. The sockliner is theportion of the footwear upon which a wearer places their foot. Often,the sockliner is glued and/or stitched to the sole. However, the gluingand/or stitching process is typically conducted at a manufacturingfacility different than the one at which the sole and sockliner wereproduced. As a result, production delays and added costs are incurred inhandling, packing, and shipping the sole and sockliner from onemanufacturing facility to another.

Moreover, permanently attached sockliners, such as by gluing and/orstitching, prohibit the sockliner from being removed from the footwearfor cleaning or replacement. It is also known to place the sockliner onthe sole without any type of connection. However, the sockliner canbunch or gather within the footwear thereby causing discomfort to thewearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to footwear generallycomprising a sole, an upper attached to the sole to define a volume forreceiving a foot therein, and a sockliner received in the volume andoverlying the sole. The sole includes at least one first fastenerelement formed therein, and the sockliner includes at least one secondfastener element formed therein. The second fastener element is adaptedfor snap-together fastening with the first fastener element for securingthe sockliner to the sole.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to footweargenerally comprising an upper shaped to define a volume for receiving afoot therein and having an opening for passage of the foot into thevolume. The upper is attached to a sole having a top surface and abottom surface. The top surface includes a plurality of cavities andopenings allowing access to the cavities. A sockliner is for overlyingthe top surface of the sole and underlying the foot of the wearer. Thesockliner includes a plurality of tabs selectively insertable into thecavities of the sole to thereby secure the sockliner to the sole.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointedout hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a right side elevation of a sneaker clog of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a left side elevation of the sneaker clog;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the sneaker clog;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the sneaker clog showing a bottomsurface of a sole of the clog;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the sole of the clog showing a top surfaceof the sole;

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a sockliner adapted to overlie the topsurface of the sole;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the sockliner;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the sockliner;

FIG. 10 is a section taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is a section taken on line 11-11 of FIG. 3.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-3,footwear of the present invention in the form of a woman's sneaker clogis designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10. Theillustrated sneaker clog 10 is configured to be worn on the right footof a wearer. Of course, a pair of sneaker clogs (one right and one left)would be provided to the wearer. Since both of the sneaker clogs of thepair are substantially the same, only one of the sneaker clogs will beillustrated and described herein. Although a woman's sneaker clog isshown and described with respect to the illustrated embodiment, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may beemployed in other types of footwear for women, men, and children.

The clog 10 includes an upper 12, a sockliner 14, and a sole 16. Theupper 12 is attached to the sole 16 using techniques know in the art. Inone configuration, the upper is affixed to sole such as by gluing and/orsewing. In another configuration (not shown), the upper is formed (e.g.,molded) as one-piece with the sole. The upper 12 is shaped to define avolume for receiving a foot of the wearer therein and has an opening 18for passage of the foot into the volume. As is typical with clogfootwear, the upper 12 includes a very low heel for allowing the wearerto easily slide her foot into and out of the clog 10. It is understoodthat the clog could be heelless. The upper 12 may be made of leather orother material (including synthetic and natural materials)conventionally used in uppers and may be lined or unlined. As shown, theexterior surface of the upper 12 can have various patterns, indicia, orstitch lines for aesthetic purposes. Because the construction of theupper 12 can be conventional and well known in the art, it will not bedescribed in further detail.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, the sole 16 generally comprises a topsurface, indicated generally at 20, and a bottom surface 22 opposite thetop surface forming a bottom of the clog 10. In the illustratedembodiment, the bottom surface 22 includes treads for increasingtraction with the ground. The sole 16 can be made of any suitablematerial such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), PVC, polyurethane, TPR,rubber or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the sole is formedfrom EVA having a relatively high hardness so that sole wear isinhibited. For example, the hardness of the sole can be between about 45and about 75 Shore C durometer. In one embodiment, the hardness of thesole is approximately 55 Shore C durometer. The EVA from which the soleif formed may have a relatively low specific gravity (e.g., betweenabout 0.08 and 0.50), and in one embodiment is about 0.10. It isunderstood that the sole can be formed with different specific gravitiesin different regions of the sole. It is also understood that the sole 16can be formed from more than one-piece. The sole 16 shown in theillustrated embodiment is one-piece.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the sole 16 includes a periphery ledge 24and an interior recess 26 located inward of the periphery ledge. Theperiphery ledge 24 includes a bevel 28 adjacent the interior recess 26.The interior recess 26 has a rearward portion and a forward portion thatis wider than the rearward portion. A plurality of cavities 32 (broadly,“a first fastener element”) is located throughout the sole 16 within therecess 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 26 in the sole 16includes eight cavities 32 (five in a forefoot part and three in a heelpart of the sole), but it is understood that more or fewer cavities canbe provided.

The sole 16 further includes a plurality of circular openings 34 forallowing assess to each of the cavities 32 therein. The openings 34 havea diameter that is less than a maximum diameter of the cavities. It isunderstood that the openings and cavities can have other configurationswithout departing from the scope of this invention. The use of theopenings and cavities will be described in detail below. Although theconstruction of the sole of one embodiment is described above, it isenvisioned that the sole may have other constructions without departingfrom the scope of the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-11, the sockliner 14 is sized and shaped foroverlying the top surface 20 of the sole 16 and underlying the foot ofthe wearer. More specifically, the sockliner 14 includes the rearwardportion sized and shaped for underlying the tarsus of the foot and aforward portion for underlying the metatarsal heads and phalanges of thefoot of the wearer. The sockliner 14 is compressively resilient tocushion the foot of the wearer during the various stages of the gaitcycle. As a result, the sockliner 14 has a relatively low hardness toprovide suitable cushion. For example, the hardness of the sockliner canbe between about 35 and about 55 Shore C durometer. In one embodiment,the sockliner has a hardness of about 45 Shore C durometer. Thesockliner 14 can be made of any suitable material such as ethylene vinylacetate (EVA), PVC, polyurethane, TPR, rubber or a combination thereof.In one embodiment, the sockliner is formed from EVA having a relativelylow specific gravity (e.g., between about 0.08 and 0.50), and in oneembodiment is about 0.10. It is understood that the sockliner can beformed with different densities in different regions of the sockliner.It is also understood that the sockliner can be formed from more thanone-piece as is illustrated and described herein.

The sockliner 14 has a surface area that is less than the surface areaof the sole 16. More specifically, the surface area of the sockliner 14is approximately equal to the surface area of the recess 26 in the sole16, and the sockliner can be received in the recess so that the uppersurface of the sockliner is generally flush with the periphery ledge 24of the sole (FIG. 11). It is understood that the sockliner can be formedwith a surface area at least equal to the surface area of the sole.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the sockliner 14 is affixed to the sole 16using a plurality of tabs 40 (broadly, “second fastener elements”),which extend outwardly from an underside of the sockliner 14 and intothe cavities 32 formed in the sole 16. The tabs 40 are preferablylocated inward of a perimeter of the sockliner 14. Each of the tabs 40includes a shaft 42 and a head 44 attached to the shaft (FIG. 10). Inthe illustrated embodiment, the tabs 40 are generally shaped like afrustum of a cone. An outwardly facing surface 46 of the heads 44 of thetabs 40 are generally rounded so that when the sockliner 14 is affixedto the sole 16 the surface engages the sole adjacent the openings tofacilitate the heads insertion into the cavities 32 in the sole 16.Eight tabs 40 and cavities 32 are shown in the illustrated configurationbut more or fewer tabs and cavities can be used.

When the tabs 40 are being pushed through the openings 34 in the sole16, the heads 44 of the tabs deform to thereby allow the wider heads topass through the opening and into the cavities 32. Once the tabs 40 onthe sockliner 14 are inserted into the cavities 32 of the sole 16, thelarge diameter heads 44 rebound to substantially their original shapesto inhibit removal or slippage of the sockliner with respect to thesole. The sockliner 14 can be disengaged from the sole 16 by pullingupward on the sockliner in a direction away from the sole. Thus, thesockliner 14 can be removed, cleaned and reattached or removed andreplaced.

As shown in FIG. 11, the sockliner 14 can include a cover 52 made of asuitable material such as calfskin leather, synthetic material, orfabric for underlying the wearer's foot to provide softness andabsorbency. Although the construction of the sockliner 14 of oneembodiment is described above, it is envisioned that the sockliner mayhave other constructions without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

As will apparent to those skilled in the art, the clog sneaker 10 of thepresent invention may be assembled using various conventional andwell-known methods. The sockliner and sole of the present invention,however, can both be manufactured (e.g., molded) and assembled at thesame manufacturing location thereby reducing production time and costs.It is not necessary to use adhesive or stitching that would be carriedout at a different location.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results obtained.

When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferredembodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” areintended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms“comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there may be additional elements other than the listedelements.

As various changes could be made in the above without departing from thescope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

1. Footwear comprising a sole, an upper attached to the sole to define avolume for receiving a foot therein, and a sockliner received in thevolume and overlying the sole, the sole including at least one firstfastener element formed therein, and the sockliner including at leastone second fastener element formed therein, the second fastener elementbeing adapted for snap-together fastening with the first fastenerelement for securing the sockliner to the sole.
 2. Footwear as set forthin claim 1 wherein the sockliner has a perimeter and the second fastenerelement is located inward of the perimeter.
 3. Footwear as set forth inclaim 2 wherein there are plural first and second fastener elements, thesecond fastener elements being located inward of the periphery of thesockliner.
 4. Footwear as set forth in claim 3 wherein each secondfastener element comprises a shaft and a head, the head having a width,each first fastener element including a cavity and an opening allowingaccess to the cavity, the opening having a width less than the width ofthe head.
 5. Footwear as set forth in claim 4 wherein each head isresiliently deformable for allowing the head to pass a correspondingopening and into the cavity.
 6. Footwear as set forth in claim 1 whereinthe second fastener element is selectively unfastenable from the firstfastener element to thereby allow the sockliner to be removed from thesole.
 7. Footwear as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sole is made ofEVA.
 8. Footwear as set forth in claim 7 wherein the sockliner is madeof EVA.
 9. Footwear as set forth in claim 8 wherein the EVA of the solehas a hardness greater than a hardness of the EVA of the sockliner. 10.Footwear as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper and sole areconfigured to define a clog.
 11. Footwear as set forth in claim 1wherein the sockliner has a surface area that is less than the surfacearea of the sole.
 12. Footwear as set forth in claim 11 wherein the soleincludes a recess sized and shaped for receiving the sockliner. 13.Footwear comprising: an upper shaped to define a volume for receiving afoot therein and having an opening for passage of the foot into thevolume; a sole having the upper attached thereto, the sole having a topsurface and a bottom surface, the top surface including a plurality ofcavities and openings allowing access to the cavities; and a socklinerfor overlying the top surface of the sole and underlying the foot of thewearer, the sockliner including a plurality of tabs selectivelyinsertable into the cavities of the sole to thereby secure the socklinerto the sole.
 14. Footwear as set forth in claim 13 wherein the tabs eachcomprise a shaft and a head attached to the shaft.
 15. Footwear as setforth in claim 14 wherein the openings in the sole have diameters lessthan diameters of the heads of the tabs.
 16. Footwear as set forth inclaim 15 wherein the heads of the tabs are resiliently deformable forallowing the heads to snap into the cavities through the openings. 17.Footwear as set forth in claim 13 wherein the tabs are formed asone-piece with the sockliner.
 18. Footwear as set forth in claim 17wherein the cavities and openings are formed as one-piece with the sole.19. Footwear as set forth in claim 13 wherein the sole includes aforward portion and rearward portion, each of the forward and rearwardportions of the sole including at least one cavity and correspondingopening, the sockliner including a forward portion and rearward portion,each of the forward and rearward portions of the sockliner including atleast one tab.
 20. Footwear as set forth in claim 13 wherein the sole ismade of EVA and has a hardness, and the sockliner is made of EVA and hasa hardness less than the hardness of the sole.